Old Flames Mismatched. True Stories of Extinguished Love 1.5 x 2" unused matchbook. Letterpress printed. The words on the matchsticks describe former friends and lovers. As matches are removed the text changes. Catherine Michaelis began Old Flames Mismatched by looking at a matchbook, taking it apart, looking at the matches as pages that "turned" as they were used. Match layers made her think of a book with divided pages where images and/or text could mix and match. As one would use a match the words below would differ, altering the story. While the stories change, altering the "reasons," it suggests that perhaps relationships are not taken seriously enough to begin with, and finding the right match is a game we play. The matches are meant to be used. Just as in relationshps we often get burned or burned out, feel used or used up, Old Flames Mismatched is meant to be a ritualized experience of that end of the romance feeling. Volume I : "Has love's inferno fizzled to a smoking ember? BLOW IT OUT" Volume II: "Do You Feel Burned by Your Ex? LIGHTEN UP!" |
